By Dow Jones Newswires Staff
U.S. Futures and global markets were broadly higher as commodities and energy stocks rose after President Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Sterling fell to a one-week low after U.K. inflation data, while oil and gold prices rose.
--U.S. futures edged up after two out of three major indexes in the country closed lower Tuesday on U.S. non-farm payroll data that slightly overshot consensus forecasts. The tech-heavy Nasdaq edged up 0.2% premarket, while futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.15% and 0.1% respectively.
--Asian shares were broadly higher on Wednesday. Data from Japan showed the country's U.S.-bound exports rose for the first time in eight months in November, underscoring resilience in the manufacturing sector and reinforcing expectations of an interest-rate hike this week. Japan's Nikkei ended 0.3% higher. South Korea's Kospi was up 1.4%, snapping a two-session losing streak, with gains led by chip stocks. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 0.8% while the gauge of tech stocks added 1.0%. China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2% while Shenzhen gained 1.7% and the tech-heavy ChiNext ended 3.4% higher.
--Energy stocks and banks led European indexes higher ahead of a busy day of central bank decisions Thursday. The FTSE 100 rose 0.95% following the U.K.'s lower-than-expected inflation print. Energy companies also spurred the German Dax to an early 0.3% gain. Spain's IBEX 35 and the Italian FTSE MIB rose 0.4% and 0.6% respectively. Banks and energy companies also sent France's CAC 40 0.1% higher, though luxuries were a drag on the index.
--The dollar recovered after hitting a 10-week low on the back of U.S. jobs data. The DXY dollar index rose 0.5% to 98.622, having hit a low of 97.869 on Tuesday.
--Sterling fell to a one-week low of $1.3330 after U.K. inflation data cemented expectations for another Bank of England interest-rate cut Thursday. Inflation fell to an annual rate of 3.2% in November from 3.6% in October, below the 3.5% forecast in a WSJ poll of economists. The euro rose to an intraday high of 0.8781 pounds from 0.8755.
--U.S. Treasury yields rose in Asian afternoon trade, reversing Tuesday's falls prompted by U.S. data. The Venezuelan oil blockade also lifted yields somewhat overnight The two-year Treasury yield gained 2.5 basis points to 3.502%, while the 10-year Treasury yield was up 1.9 bps at 4.168%, according to Tradeweb.
--Eurozone government bond yields fell slightly in early trade as markets await Germany's December Ifo business climate index at 0900 GMT. The 10-year Bund yield dropped 1.9 basis points to 2.828%.
--Oil prices rose more than 1% after President Trump's blockade order. Brent crude was up 1.2% to $59.64 a barrel, while WTI gained 1.3% to $55.84 a barrel. Crude prices on Tuesday settled at their lowest since February 2021 on renewed optimism over Russia-Ukraine peace talks and prospects of a widening surplus weighed on markets.
--Gold prices rose on expectations of further interest-rate cuts by the Fed next year. Futures in New York were up 0.3% to $4,346.10 a troy ounce, holding near October's record highs. Investors now await November's CPI inflation data report due Thursday for more cues on the U.S. central bank's next moves. Gold was also supported by rising geopolitical risks. Meanwhile, Silver soared to a new record. Futures for the precious metal were up 4% at $65.85 an ounce after hitting an intraday high of $66.65 earlier in the session.
--Bitcoin fell as the latest U.S. jobs data weren't soft enough to materially alter interest-rate cut expectations for the Federal Reserve. Markets continue to price in about two 25 basis points rate cuts in 2026, LSEG data show. Bitcoin falls 1.6% to $86,422, according to LSEG.
Write to Barcelona Editors at barcelonaeditors@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
12-17-25 0438ET
